MWC 2018 – Roundup of Key Smartphone Announcements

It’s that time of year already, the Mobile World Congress 2018. There has been lots going on with all kinds of technologies being showcased from AI (machine learning), IoT (Internet connected devices), new mobile phones, chip manufacturers, VR/AR and more.

In this post we are just going to focus on the main announcements from the biggest smartphone brands at MWC 2018 that you may want to consider buying other than phones that are already available and launched in 2017.

Nokia 8810

The Nokia brand, once the king of mobile phones is still living in the past. Or at least it certainly feels that way. Last year they revived the 3310, one of their most popular phones back in the late 90s. This year they’re doing the same with the Nokia 8810, a curved, banana style mobile with a sliding cover that was around in the mid 90s and most famously featured in the Matrix. The phone comes comes the classic Snake game but does look a whole lot different that the original phone.

It’s a phone that will be great for the developing markets and also any hard core Nokia fans (read, crazy hard core) and those partial to an electric yellow, banana shaped phone!!! Despite the retro design the OS features some modern features like apps for Twitter and Facebook as well as 4G connection.

Onto the more modern, high-end smaprthones. HMD who licence the Nokia brand also announce the Nokia 8 Sirocco, the Nokia 7 Plus and the Nokia 6.

Nokia 8 Sirocco

This is the flagship of the range and certainly looks the part. It also comes with a hefty price tag of around £660 SIM Free. There are phones like the One Pus 5t that come with similar features and are a bit less expensive however, the Nokia 8 Sirocco is a very well built, high quality phone with Gorilla glass sides that curve into the front glass and make it feel solid and worthy of the price. The body of the phone is also made out of one single piece of stainless steel that just makes it feel more premium.

The Nokia 8 Sirocco features high-end specs like face unlock and rear fingerprints scanner. Packing 128GB of storage, you won’t be running short of space for quite a while.

The dual rear camera is equipped with 12MP and a telephoto lens with ZEISS optics that deliver fantastic pictures and those professional looking Bokeh shots.

One of the little known but huge reasons to buy one of these new Nokia smartphones is the fact that it comes with pure Android. The latest version which is Oreo 8.0. This means no extra layers and all the top features and updates.

All in all, this a a phone that we feel is actually pretty worthy of your money.

Nokia 7 Plus

If you are looking for a Nokia that’s more about the large screen and viewing experience, then the the Nokia 7 Plus is the one. It packs a 6 inch Full HD screen and the same high end camera as the Nokia 8 Sirocco minus the optical image stabilization. Although the Nokia 7 Plus doesn’t quite have the stylish and more compact appeal of other premium smartphones it is significantly cheaper at around £350 SIM Free.

At that price, it’s a perfectly good phone in the mid-ranged market and still has a very good, high quality build.

LG V30S ThinQ

Although LG haven’t announced a new flagship phone (We were expecting the G7), they did intro the LG V30S ThinQ. It’s a respectable phone but there is hardly any change from the design of the V30. In fact, it’s pretty much the same phone except for the new Platinum Grey and Moroccan Blue colours. There are a upgrades to memory and there is now a choice of 128GB and 256GB which is fairly considerable.

The main reason LG showcased this phone at the MWC (aside from the fact they probably didn’t manufacture their flagship in time) is the AI integration. This is quite a novelty feature of the camera that has been trained to recognise over 100 million images and can then understand the scene and objects to produce better images. In addition, there is a QLens image detection that allows you to take a picture of a product and connect to Amazon where you can then buy that product.

Samsung S9 and S9 Plus

Here come the bad boys! The S9 and S9 Plus are the show stoppers of MWC 2018.
In terms of styling there isn’t much that differs from last years S8 and S8 Plus. The bezel at the top and bottom is slightly thinner for a more streamlined look and the position of the fingerprint scanner on the back has changed in response to customer feedback.

The phone focuses on camera improvements including a dual camera on the rear and Dual Aperture lens that supposedly adapts like the human eye. The camera also adapts to different lighting with ease so whether it is dark or light, it will adjust to the surroundings. The other selling point is Super Slow-mo with HD resolution that also lets you add music and make gifs.

Extending that novelty are AR Emoji stickers that turn you into your own character to express your emotions emoji style!

The more intelligent use of the camera features a live translation tool however; you must be connected to the Internet for this to work. Simply snap a shot of a sign or text and the camera will translate on screen.

Another feature that we like is the motion detection sensor on the camera that automatically starts recording when you need it to. This is perfect for those moments you need to capture something quickly and don’t want to spend what feels like a lifetime, trying to open the camera and start recording.

The S9 and S9+ come in two new sexy colours too. In addition to a midnight black there is Lilac Purple and Coral Blue.

This is a really beautiful phone, particularly in purple and there is much more than meets the eye.

Sony Xperia XZ2 – New Sony Flagship Phone

On the face of it there doesn’t look like there is much change with the Sony Xperia XZ2. Sony doesn’t really seem to challenge and develop the look of the phone in the same way Samsung or Apple does but as an overall smartphone that packs in some great tech and high-end capabilities it does make it one of the best Android phones out there.

The Xperia XZ2 delivers an 18:9, 5.7 inch display with HDR Full HD+. That’s pretty impressive and it’s a perfect match to display the phone’s ability to record 4K, HDR video, a world first.

The Sony Xperia XZ2 is the world’s first 4K HDR movie recording smartphone. It’s also the world’s first ISO 51200 for photos and ISO 12800 for video. Sony continues to innovate and break new records in camera technology #MWC18pic.twitter.com/7VSal04Kkx

Although we said before that Sony hasn’t really pushed the enveloped on the design front, there are a few changes that make it more aesthetically attractive. There are now no bulging bezels on the phone and the they have opted for a more curved look like some of it’s previous ranges. This allows for much more smooth feel and softer look. More design updates take place on the back of the phone with the camera and fingerprint sensors aligned more in the centre of the phone.

From an internal perspective the phone features a super fast snapdragon 845 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage space. This is top end stuff that competes on the same level as the new S9 from Samsung.

Sony have introduced a new vibration system that gives delivers feedback on the various activities like games and music to add to the experience. It’s akin to what you might find on a PS4 controller.

With regards to the camera, Sony always throw in the high specs but haven’t always delivered when it comes to the quality of pictures, particularly in low light conditions. There are some improvements to the tech here including a wider ISO range so we expect to see better images from the Xperia XZ2’s 19MP camera. Although Sony always offer a higher resolution it doesn’t always translate to better photos.

One important change to take note of is that Sony have followed suit with the likes of Apple and ditched the headphone jack.

Telecoms and SIM Only expert Rosh is passionate about saving money on mobile phone bills. He is also a technology enthusiast and keeps up to date with the latest gadgets and smartphones. In his spare time he also enjoys keeping fit by going to the gym and is a massive supporter of Arsenal FC.